Tim Gould's Team Peugeot Roberts White Spider

[WayneO]

Re. the narrow tyre clearance at the back - my understanding is that it was considered difficult to bend the stays on Reynolds tubes. The alternatives are a narrow rear tube (given the riders background a non-issue) or extra long stays to get round a fat tyre resulting in bargelike handling.
Not being thus constrained was an advantage for US builders and allowed them to gain a reputation as being able to build better handling bikes. If anyone can deny/confirm this I'd be v. interested

Beautiful to see a bike like this surface again, and in such good shape! Somewhere I had a Durango Worlds T shirt, but I lost it moving house about 10 years ago (along with some other good stuff). One day it might surface....

 

[biglev]

Re. the narrow tyre clearance at the back - my understanding is that it was considered difficult to bend the stays on Reynolds tubes. The alternatives are a narrow rear tube (given the riders background a non-issue) or extra long stays to get round a fat tyre resulting in bargelike handling.
Not being thus constrained was an advantage for US builders and allowed them to gain a reputation as being able to build better handling bikes. If anyone can deny/confirm this I'd be v. interested

Handling for what? short stay work well for climbing, long back end with loads of clearance can be flexy. i am not sure hwat tubing they used as its a service de course frame. so he could choose what to (753,531,653 somethimes soem columbus)

i can say that the chainstays on my roberts are a bit tight at the back and it does have a short chainstay and does handle well for climbing and single track. i have has same era US bike that have more clearance and are better trail/ dh. but it hase a 73mm bb shell. it is in part a component thing as well. the old kit was often road based 68mm bb shell not 73mm so this made even less space to fit all this in.

I am a mad fan of this bike. I loved it then and i still love it now.

I am trying to build a replica frame from scratch I can tell you it is very easy to bend the tube, the problem is that is soo thin it gets out of shape. 753 is way to tricky for me to mess with. I have been looking at alternatives 531 chain stays which come pre bent. I am pretty sure roberts used a road chainstay and just were very carful with the set up and maybe just a small tweak at the bb end. anyway i have tried twice to replicate this frame and it is really dificult. it looks so simple but you have to hand it to roberts they did a great. job. I guess that the difference between and have a go hero and a master craftsman. this frame is not built its crafted. still loving it.

 

[WayneO]

Right, that's the point. If they'd used a long stay they'd have kaiboshed the handling for racing , and I don't know what stays were available then from Reynolds, but they weren't bendy enough. For those guys a narrow tyre was a nonissue (if not an advantage) so you get a great handling bike that was probably as good as anything else out there

You are a lucky man to own that bike - does it feel twitchy, demanding or more forgiving?

 

[biglev]

Fair point. I hasten to add the roberts i was talking about is not the one featured hear but one of a similar age. I coudl only wish to have this one.

Cheers
Pete

 

[chiswickcollectables]

What an inspiring thread. Tim Gould should be well remembered and respected by all Retrobikers.. and to possess the actual bike..... awesome

 

[yeti-man]

Wery nice. I have a book by Tim (and Simon Burney) - "Mountain Bike Racing". There are some images in that book by Tim and his Peugeots. I can scan and post if you like?

 

[doctor-bond]

Thanks for the interest and comments chaps.

@ Biglev - respect for building your own - let me know if you'd like any dimensions or pics.

@Wayen0 - You could be right about the difficulty forming the chainstays: they are a work of art with a slight bend and no crimping. And using a narrow rear tyre isn't much of a problem and arguably has advantages in mud (the Contis I'm using aren't really period, but work much better than old Hardpacks). I run a fat one up front for 'suspension' and the handling is great. The downland near me has some fast, relatively smooth downhills which are a fantastic on this.

The original bars are cutdown amazingly short and take some getting used to: I'm using some slightly wider ones now which still provide very direct steering.

@Yeti-Man: I have that book too which is still a good read. Simon Burney was kind enough to provide much of the information I used for the feature bike article. I haven't got a scanner though, so if you were able to post some pics that would be grand.

 

[hydorah]

Just read the lot

Read this thread a while ago when it was just small, cam back and caught up

Great way to build it Doctor-Bond, and well done to everybody who chipped in a nugget or two of info to colour in this great story, so far

I love RB

Another fab bike, I love the rear tyre quirk/compromise/innovation reading about that really gives you that sensation of on the edge race engineering

I wouldn't be surprised if the goal was to get chainstays without a crimp as you theorise Doctor-B

Maybe we'll find out? Good luck with the hunt for more info! I'm gonna be back for sure

 

[biglev]

Doctor-bond,

if you had some extra shots of the seat post and seat stays and bridge areas that would be great, and a close up of the roberts badge to make sure i use that right one that would be great.

Cheers
Pete

 

[biglev]

Wery nice. I have a book by Tim (and Simon Burney) - "Mountain Bike Racing". There are some images in that book by Tim and his Peugeots. I can scan and post if you like?

we would love to see them. tak